| | | Dr Francesco Turci
~ Making Sense of Local Structure in Glasses ~
Francesco Turci's presentation was a probe into the mathematics that strives to explain the properties of materials as they transition between being solid, liquid or gas. The focus is upon the temperatures and pressures at which transitions take place, and on materials where behaviour is easiest observed. What mathematics best models what nature does in these instances ? Unlike water, which transitions sharply into ice, molten glass as it cools flows slower and slower, smoothly becoming, essentially, a solid. Under the microscope, increasingly, as the cooling takes place, if a particle wants to move, its neighbours have to cooperate. This cooperative motion, the evolution of the local structure over time, is the focus of Francesco's research. For a fuller flavour of his talk, and more detail, see this paper.
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